Better Service And Andy Can Hit Heights

So Andy Murray's season ended in a disappointing defeat at the Masters Cup at the weekend, but what a year it's been.

Five ATP titles, including two in the prestigious Masters Series, and a first Grand Slam final prove Murray has truly turned potential into success. At least to me it does.

However, the wider British public will, rightly or wrongly, decide whether his career is a success or not on two factors - whether he wins a Grand Slam title or not and whether he ever climbs to the top of the world rankings.

Such success may not be far away. One leading bookmaker thinks Murray is as likely to win a Grand Slam in 2009 as he is to miss out - more evidence that the Briton is the real deal.

So what of Murray's chances of being a Grand Slam winner this time next year and, for that matter, world number one?

Well, looking positively a case can easily be made for both.

Roger Federer lost 15 matches (as well as his number-one ranking) in 2008, more than in the previous two seasons put together, and clearly is no longer feared as much as he was. Murray's record against him is also impressive.

This particular tennis follower remains concerned about Rafael Nadal's long-term viability. History shows many of the claycourt greats have suffered from burnout and the style of the Spaniard's game leaves him just as susceptible. As I write he's laid up with more knee problems.

The other player currently ranked higher than Murray is Novak Djokovic. Admittedly, he's been good in the majors - one title and two semi-final appearances in 2008 - but less so at the tour's run-of-the-mill events which contribute plenty to the ranking system.

So what needs to be improved as far as Murray is concerned?

Coach Miles Maclagan's assessment post-Shanghai suggested not a great deal.

"Obviously every good player would like to make more first serves and do a bit more on return. But I don't see any problem areas in his game. It's just a question of taking everything to maybe half a level or a level better."

I largely agree but personally feel the area of Murray's game with most room for improvement is his serve.

Murray's first serve is a powerful weapon when it's on song - speed goes well into the 130mph-plus range - but the delivery doesn't find the service box quite as much as he'd like - 57 per cent of the time to be exact.

While Nadal's percentage is particularly high (and nowhere near as fast) at 69, Murray really needs to be lifting his up to around the 64-65 mark where Federer and Djokovic currently are.

Perhaps an even more important factor is to improve the second delivery.

If there is a real weakness in the Murray game, this is it - and again the statistics back this up.

Look at second-serve points won on the ATP Tour this season and Nadal, Federer and Djokovic led the way in 2008 with 60, 58 and 57 per cent respectively. Murray is a lowly 33rd on that list with 51 per cent.

The other clear, and more general, area that will need to be improved has already been identified by Murray - transferring his success on his favoured hardcourts to the grass and, most importantly, the clay.

Murray's grasscourt form is hardly cause for great concern - quarter-finals at Queen's Club (where injury cost him) and Wimbledon (losing to eventual champion Nadal) this summer.

The 21-year-old is less at home on the red dirt (7-5 on it this season) and unfortunately for him the claycourt season lasts twice as long as the grass one.

However, one of Murray's many strengths is his shot-making ability from the back of the court and he is certainly much better equipped than either Tim Henman (who it should be remembered once made the semi-finals of the French Open) or Greg Rusedski were to succeed on this surface.

Patience will be a big factor for Murray when he returns to the 'terre battue' in April.

It's something some of his critics have said he hasn't enough of, but then Murray has proved many of them wrong over the last 12 months.

In a few days' time the new star of British tennis will turn his attention to ironing out what faults he has at his off-season training camp.

If he does as good a job as he did this time last year, then 2009 really could be the year of Andy Murray.

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